neilly's posts

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I expected there to be cosmetic changes to the programme this morning, but I did not expect as many subtle changes I fully agree like other's have said that these minor changes will absolutely nothing to improve viewing figures. It's the quality of content and output that's the key problem.

In terms of the changes, I do not think the new theme is that bad. However, in my opinion it is too soft in tone and lacks gravitas. It's more suited to the 8am TOTH. I would prefer they keep the original theme from 6am as it fits in the headline bed that they continue to use. As for the new desk, like Corey and other's have mentioned I am not a big fan it seems too small whereas the enlarged sofa looks disjointed with the rest of the set. ITV Breakfast always have the tendency to change the set tone to Orange for some reason

It is a real shame that ITV did not have the courage or conviction to stick it out with the original format allowing core viewers to get used to the programme. There was such great positivity back in the Spring last year promising something new and different. Executives never allowed the American inspired format to develop therefore they failed to build an audience.

I suspect research from audience focus groups and advertisers really pressurised ITV to make changes quickly. Remember, 75% of ITV Breakfast audience profile is female. In addition, the key demo Housewives with Children viewing figures is up 4% year-on-year. This is where in reality ITV Breakfast make advertising revenue and profit. Even if GMB is down 12% compared to the same period last year there is still plenty of money to be made.

Interesting ratings from Monday (courtesy of the DS ratings thread). Between 7.00-8.30am GMB averaged 630,000 with an (18.8%) audience share compared with Breakfast's 640,00 (36.9%) between 6.00am and 7.30am. Remember, Breakfast was broadcast from the BBC News channel after 7.30am only attracting 548,000 with a (12.1%) share. Lorraine attracted 1.05 million viewers with a (17.2%) share. Adversely, this means that after 7.30am GMB and Lorraine beat BBC Breakfast.

However, Dinner Date which preceded GMB only attracted 70,000 viewers and a 4.8% share. This raises the question whether GMB should be broadcast after 7am with a proper newshour type programme airing in the 6-7am slot. This could help to raise the average viewing figures.

I am not sure if Kate knew should would be newsreader. I am sure I heard a mistake when she said "back to the sofa with Kate and Ben" which was a bit awkward. I thought Ben and Ranvir worked well together, however I would have liked to have seen Ben and Kate front the show given they have great chemistry together. I think it is more likely that both Kate and Ranvir will share relief presenting duties when Charlotte goes on maternity leave next month alternating between the newsreader and lead roles.

Today, there was slightly improved content with the show and it was good to see use of the interview area. It will be interesting to see how the ratings hold up this week. Remember, Daybreak's viewing figures simply collapsed during this period with historic lows of 250,000 back in 2010. Given the programme is broadcast from 7am this week it is difficult to judge whether that will have any impact on the ratings average.

I thought Sean did well today alongside Kate fronting GMB. He did seem a tad nervous which was understandable given that this was his debut as a main presenter. He seemed to handle the serious items and light features well and had good banter with the rest of the team. I think today has shown he is perfectly capable of standing in and with more confidence could grow into the role as relief presenter. It would be good to see him share relief presenting duties with John during the holidays.

On the question of Susanna Reid, I know a lot of people simply do not her style of presenting, Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, however she has grown on me. She does still struggle with the light/showbiz features. I do not think she will be moving on anytime soon.

I disagree with the comments about the show's content today. Was it really necessary to have two live links to Los Angeles talking about inane celebrity rubbish. They could have had more in-depth interviews looking at the major headlines i.e. missing Asian airliner, major ferry fire or stranded tourists in France. I felt the show was a bit lazy, dull and repetitive. I am fully aware resources are always stretched this time of year. They still need to achieve a better balance between the light and serious items (in my opinion).

After months of build up to the launch of the new breakfast show with promises of something new and different, the content is no radically different from the latter stages of GMTV or Daybreak in its various guises. It makes you wonder why ITV went through all the hassle and money trying to revitalise the breakfast brand.

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For a programme apparently news driven, entertainment and lifestyle features seem to make up a considerable amount of output. I personally think they need to differentiate the show more by making the 6am-7am hour more focused on news by scrapping the entertainment slot at 6.50am and fluff, replacing it with more in-depth news features and a return of the newspaper review. Then front the show from the sofa after 7am.

In one post you seem to contradict yourself, pointing out how it's reverted back to GMTV/Daybreak then saying it should basically do that anyway.

It's quite clear that reverting back to a format that ultimately got axed anyway, not once but twice, isn't going to work. It's a shame though that mediocre is still quite profitable for "ITV Breakfast" as in a way the only chance things will get better is if they get so bad ITV look to pass the franchise to someone else.

I fully agree I admit my original post does seem contradictory in nature. However, given the clear direction of travel the franchise is going in it would be extremely beneficial or even helpful if they had one hour dedicated to just news, sport and weather, leaving the fluff and showbiz normally associated with the latter stages of GMTV/various guises of Daybreak until after 7am. Instead of being bombarded with it straight away from 6am. It might be away of attracting more viewers earlier in the programme which might help to boost average viewing figures.

I agree it's a real shame that yet again senior executives from ITV believe that reverting to a proven "failed" entertainment/showbiz orientated formula might bring back core viewers rather than riding out and establishing the original GMB format. The reality is that ITV Breakfast will still continue to experience poor ratings irrespective of what happens. Given the declining state of the breakfast TV market, by next year GMB will be lucky to break the 500k threshold.

I’ve been away abroad on work commitments and just back for Christmas, I managed to watch GMB in its entirety for first time at the tail end of last week since July and all I can sum up about the programme it is essentially Daybreak with a desk with 3 presenters.

After months of build up to the launch of the new breakfast show with promises of something new and different, the content is no radically different from the latter stages of GMTV or Daybreak in its various guises. It makes you wonder why ITV went through all the hassle and money trying to revitalise the breakfast brand.

The programme does seem more settled and no one can dispute the on-air chemistry between the presenting team. However, what has been disappointing is the continued focus and over-emphasis on the entertainment / fluff features even from the outset at 6am. At least with the Daybreak newshour these were pushed back to after 7am.

For a programme apparently news driven, entertainment and lifestyle features seem to make up a considerable amount of output. I personally think they need to differentiate the show more by making the 6am-7am hour more focused on news by scrapping the entertainment slot at 6.50am and fluff, replacing it with more in-depth news features and a return of the newspaper review. Then front the show from the sofa after 7am.

On the ratings front, these did recover to just fewer than 600,000 with an average 14-16% audience share in November. These are still down nearly 10% year-on-year compared to last year with audience peaks barely surpassing the 1 million mark. Even some peak figures are down between 15-20% compared to the previous year.

Also, it is disappointing to see Sean’s role being limited to just Sports although the combination of 3 presenters works much better. I assumed being billed as one of the main presenters he would get the opportunity to front the programme. Even though he is the least known or charismatic presenter I think he could have built rapport with the core audience by standing in for Ben or John.

Given the direction of the programme it makes you wonder if they don't just replace the desk with a large sofa and pretend the past year never happened.

I agree about yesterday's show they handled the big news stories really well mixed in with some lighter features which was good. However, the ratings are still pretty woeful averaging between 480,000 - 550,000 this week with a 12-15% audience share. The broadcast outdoors by the Thames this week haven't really benefited the programme with BBC Breakfast remaining solid with 36-39% audience share.

If you were to take into account year on year comparisons for the month of July;

Over the last five years there has been consistent decline, but the biggest has been between this year and last year. To be fair if Daybreak was on air it probably wouldn't rate any better. But, the problem for ITV is that surely there will be immense pressure to turn things around.

Also, even though the Commonwealth Games is not as big a sporting event as the Olympics in 2012. As Breakfast will be broadcasting from Glasgow will that have an effect on GMB's ratings leading to further declines next week. I could conceivably see ITV Breakfast's lowest ratings during the Summer holidays with new lows of possibly 200 - 300,000 viewers and single digit audience shares. This will probably generate more negative publicity for the programme.

Look at ITV Breakfast's performance in audience appreciation and viewing figures in the last decade. The more they have focused on fluff and showbiz the more ratings have dropped.

In reference, the Mirror article we can question it's validity and the sources that have been used, but it focuses on entirely on the perception of Susanna Reid. It's not about the presenters, it's the content as mentioned by so many others and how it is presented. News can be engaging to wider audience, but it has to be relevant. I don't buy into the idea that a more news orientated programme simply turn's viewers off especially housewives with children.

My concern about the underlying message of the end of that article is that the general public want more 'weather, fun stories, competitions and fluff'. Therefore implying that GMB should follow the same failed route of making the show more fluffy and showbiz. I hope ITV have learned especially Daybreak v2 that it does not work which resulted in the loss of 100,000 viewers over a year and a half.

I have been liking the outside presentation, only thing is does take away from the unquie four person team. Although usually Sean is a spare part anyways but the third person (Charlotte, Kate, Ranvir) has always been integrated more and I liked that. Today Ranvir only appeared in news slot at each half hour.
Personally moving forward I'd like to see three main presenters (with Sean with sport, Richard with entertainment, weather with Laura moving to the desk and members of the reporting team moving to the fourth seat at the desk during their slots)

I agree with the 3 main presenter set up. However, I think today's and yesterday's outdoor presentation has shown how more informal and comfortable it is having two lead presenters for large parts of the show. Interestingly, ratings for yesterday was the highest of the week with an average of just under 600,000 including +1. There are a lot of core viewers who simply do not like the formal desk set up even if the content isn't radically different from Daybreak. As we've said it takes a long time for viewers to settle into new show. I know others would disagree but I would like them to differentiate the presentation. For example, making the first hour more newsier based from the main desk. Then after 7 have to two main presenters lead from the sofa handing over to newsreader for a summary of the headlines. It would give the whole programme more structure in my opinion.

I echo the sentiments of others who have praised GMB's efforts today with the use of the South Bank. Overall, I thought the show had the right balance between news and light items, the pace was good and there was stunning views of the River Thames during the outside broadcasts. I think an added advantage was having more definitive roles i.e. Ben and Susanna were in the lead which made the transitions to the main studio more seamless.

I am sure there are those who criticise the outdoor broadcasts for being too gimmicky, but I personally thought it worked well. Remember, Daybreak's failed attempts with the outdoors with that studio terrace where they spent months constructing, but only used a handful of times. Or even that terrace adjacent to the old Studio 7 Daybreak green room that was only used for a number of interviews. At least, the team took the advantage of using the views of the south bank to broadcast from and it paid off IMO.

As much as I want to love GMB, I just can't. Yes its a bit more newsy than Daybreak, but it comes across as diluted with no depth, as though they think they can rely on the flashy graphics and fake chemistry to make them a hit. Its a bit inconsistent on a daily basis; yes there's more news content some days, but on others it's fluffy. It should not be a hard news programme, but I will never digest Ben Shephard telling me about the middle east. Also, could it be any more obvious that Susanna's brief was 'engage with the audience, make them feel you're a fun person who gives a damn about the likes of Bieber's antics'. Too commercial and cheap for me.

So, how about an 'ITV News AM', a programme that has the same authoritative news and features feel of regional news. Containing a bit more speed and life than 'Breakfast'. Ranvir and Stapleton at the helm. Simple and straightforward without the gimmicky graphics. Save your celebs lifestyle nonsense for Lorraine

I think it's important that all forum members respect each other's opinion. It's good to have debate there's no need to get personal. I agree about the comments regarding the content of the programme. I think the content is the biggest problem that has to be addressed in the long term. Yes, like other's have said GMB does need more time to bed in and it does have the advantage of a spring launch to help prepare for the important autumn season.

I've also said that there is still an inconsistency in terms of the balance between news and light items as reubz mentions. For example, today at 6.25 they had a naff Ross King interview with Gerard Butler. That kind of interview should be consigned to Lorraine and waste's airtime that could be used for more in-depth interviews. Also, they should scrap the 6.50 entertainment slot and make the 6am hour more focused on news.

Like others, I thought it worked better having 3 instead of 4 presenters. Sean still has a limited role in the main presenting team and still comes across a bit of a spare part. It's also good seeing Ranvir filling in for Charlotte adding a bit of fun to the show. On a slightly positive note, in the last four weeks GMB's consolidated viewing figures have remained fairly stable around 550,000 (including +1) with a 14-15% viewing share compared with Breakfast's 1.6 million and 38% share. It's not the best, however at least the decline has slowed down for now.

I haven't managed to get access to Friday's ratings. But, for the week beginning 2nd of June GMB's consolidated ratings including +1 was 536,000 (14% share) compared with Breakfasts 1.59 million (39% share). It is still quite woeful and will likely settle even lower as we approach the summer holidays.

I know others will disagree, but I think having the likes of Kate and Ranvir presenting on GMB does lighten up the atmosphere and they bring a sense of fun to the show. As already mentioned I thought Kate's faux pas on Thursday was hilarious and she has fantastic chemistry with Ben. I think in hindsight it was probably a mistake to hire four presenters, instead they should have kept either Kate or Ranvir as a permanent member of the team to help with the transition to the new show and connect with the existing audience.

I can understand why people have such mixed or negative feelings about Susanna on the show. I've warmed to her more since GMB launched and she does have good chemistry with the others. She can handle the serious items really well, but I think she struggles to deal with the fluff in comparison to the others.

I also think having Sean on OB's in Brazil has shown how he has such a limited role as main presenter. I personally think it works having 3 instead of 4 presenters. Even if the desk looks uneven, the chemistry, interaction between the presenters and the flow of the show is better IMO. It will be interesting to see I there are any cosmetic changes planned for September as there will be a lot of pressure to improve the ratings.

They really need to prioritise the news headlines above the light and showbiz features. It's a balance they are simply not making.

By prioritise do you mean run the news for the first 15 minutes at the top of each hour, run news headlines every 15 minutes and run bulletins at half past like we already do?

Thanks for watching.

No I think neilly means the whole programme must feel like news is prioritised against lighter features and showbiz news. Ie the opening headlines are indeed that: news headlines. And the news is just that: news. With any showbiz or light stories put in their own slot.

If it's not what neilly thinks, forgive me, but it's what I think.

And if you are in any position of authority at GMB, you really should be thinking less in minutes and more in how the content is presented. Because the answer is more superficial than how many minutes.

Absolutely, that's exactly what I think. For the TOTH they need to focus in my opinion the main news and sport headlines, then leave showbiz and human interest features until later. I also think the running order of the main headlines also needs to be looked at. A classic example as Cylon6 quite rightly points out today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings a significant global and historical event involving all the key world leaders meeting in Normandy. Yet it was the second story behind an item about an obese child being neglected. In my view the D-Day landings should have been the top story and it is reflective of some of the problems GMB has in terms of content.

In reference, to Cross Channel's point I am not for one minute suggesting that GMB present rolling news from start to finish. Yes, it is important to deliver a mix stories in news, sport, entertainment and human interest. But, the balance between them all is not being achieved. For a programme that is meant to be agenda setting or more engaging it's just not hitting the mark in my opinion. If GMB's content isn't as radically different to Daybreak then how can ITV realistically expect to attract more viewers who are put off by adverts, competitions, or showbiz features. I fully understand they need to connect with the core audience, yet attract new viewers. As I've said before everybody is in entitled to their own opinions, but there is potential for GMB to improve.

I echo the sentiments of others that the content really does need to improve. The problem at the moment just like Daybreak is inconsistency between shows. They really need to prioritise the news headlines above the light and showbiz features. It's a balance they are simply not making. I would definitely make the 6am much more newsier with entertainment and light features shown after 7. In my opinion I still find the wheel of cash absolutely pointless and a waste of air time.

In terms of ratings this week viewing share has been hovering between 14 and 15% still low compared with Breakfast's 36-37% share. This will certainly get worse for GMB as we approach the summer holidays.

Also, I know many hate presenter related questions (my apologies), but with Sean going away for a month next week to cover live OB's of the Brazil World Cup will GMB simply have 3 presenters at the desk or will they bring in the likes of John, Ranvir or Kate to fill in for him.

It was inevitable that The Sun or another tabloid were going to pick up on GMB's woeful viewing figures. The Broadcast report many papers have referred today shows that ITV Breakfast slot average between 6-8.30am has fallen by 13% which is the biggest year-on-year decline in over 3 years. You always have to take these stories with a pinch of salt, but I very much doubt ITV would axe the show within the year.

As the audience shares have fallen below that quoted '15%' level the key focus for ITV is the key demo 'Housewives with Children' where their share slightly rose after GMB's launch. If the figures for this demo improves then despite overall reach falling their still lots of advertising revenue to be made. Given the amount of investment at ITV and the PSB requirements for Channel 3 license they have no choice but to stick it out for the long term. In terms of timescales, I would say the new year would be a good point to review how the show is performing ratings wise.

Whatever you think of GMB, it's clear that tweaks and changes will have to be made. As other's have mentioned for most shows the content isn't that radically different from Daybreak v2. They still insist on this tabloid sensationalist agenda which doesn't engage with viewers. I think they need to distinguish the programme much more for example scrapping competition and entertainment slots in the 6am hour focusing on more news. Maybe introduce a formal newspaper review looking over the main headlines. ITV will never come close to Breakfast in the ratings, however there is scope for improvement especially the content.

If ITV daytime are trying to ensure all the daytime shows have distinct remits, making Loose Women more serious, dropping Lorraine's paper review, I wonder if it is time for the kitchen to be dropped on Lorraine, leaving that to This Morning.

She only gained a kitchen in the dying days of GMTV. With no kitchen and no paper review guests, Lorraine could move into a smaller cosy more personal studio, rather than walking around a massive space like she does now.

It would be better in my opinion if Breakfast was restructured out of daytime all together, the same person being in charge of GMB and Loose Women can surely never work.

I agree, that ITV Breakfast should be restructured out of Daytime altogether if it has any chance of success. Peter McHugh, former Director of Programming at GMTV made the very good point that as soon as ITV bought out Disney's share of GMTV and launched Daybreak. It treated the whole franchise like a daytime programme when in reality they are completely different. As we've seen that meant that the editorial style and direction of ITV Breakfast was very similar to This Morning and Loose Women. The perception is still heavily lightweight and celebrity obsessed even if GMB is an improvement on Daybreak.

What must be very worrying for ITV is the continued decline in ratings. Yesterday's Bank holiday edition of GMB attracted only 290,000 viewers with a 10.2% lower than the previous Bank holiday. The share is broadly in line with that of Daybreak's very lowest rating of 250,000 viewers back in December 2010. These ratings were always going to be abysmal but it surely puts more pressure on ITV. I really hope they don't start to massively tinker with the format or revert backwards with more showbiz crap. That would damage ITV Breakfast even more.

GMB like it's predecessors are always limited for time especially when you take into account the advert breaks, inane competition slots, Regional news opt outs which all adds up within two and half hours. I agree Breakfast and Sunrise have the advantage of finishing later in the morning so interviews are generally longer.

Although many will disagree it has been great to see Ranvir and Kate back presenting GMB. Whatever you think of them they did give the team some energy and chemistry. I would like to see both cover the Lead Presenter role as they are both more than capable. It was also great to see John back as well. Like others have said he does fit in with the new format and brings the show some much needed gravitas. Looking ahead this year to the Scottish independence referendum and general election next year I personally think John should lead the coverage like he did at GMTV with the likes of Ben, Charlotte, Kate and Ranvir going around the country at key locations. Definitely think it would give a boost to the credibility of GMB.

Also, as others have said it was good to see Sean on the sofa actually doing an interview for a change.

To be fair, majority of reaction I saw to Kate on DS or twitter was positive. She always had good chemistry with Ben back on GMTV so it wasn't surprising it seemed more of a team this morning.

I wonder whether we'll see more of Kate with Ben as time goes by.

I agree with the comments so far, whether you like or dislike Kate I thought she did very well this morning in her expanded newsreader role. She does have a strong journalistic background which showed this morning and she had great banter with the team. Kate and Ben always had great chemistry together on GMTV so she did fit very well into the new team (although others might disagree).

I definitely think we will see much more of Kate and Ben over the coming weeks and months if the ratings continue to slide. This week GMB has averaged between 540,000 - 600,000 and the raw average viewing figures excluding (+1 and HD) has fallen by 30% in nearly 3 weeks since the launch, It must be a concern for ITV that despite a brief boost in ratings there basically back to Daybreak's levels before it was axed. However, these figures will most likely continue to fall with new rating lows come the summer. I think the acid test will be in autumn to see if ratings recover to any extent.

The Freddie Star story was the lead on most news programmes at the end of last week. First interview seems like an exclusive to me!

I'm not really sure that sex abuse allegations, albeit ones that have been withdrawn, are really a suitable topic for Breakfast TV when a large proportion of the audience are likely to be children getting ready for school. I suspect some awkward questions were being asked in some households this morning.

I didn't see the programme, but from the reports I've read, it seems that Starr became quite upset at the line of questioning and the suggestion that he may have been responsible for his actions being misunderstood.

No doubt it was his choice to do the interview, but taking advantage of a man who has perhaps suffered enough over the last 18 months isn't really entertainment or news: it's voyeurism of the worst kind.

This sort of tabloid journalism doesn't do much for GMB's credibility, and even less for the ITV(ITN) news brand they have on display most of the time in their ticker.

I absolutely agree, I think it's this kind of sensationalist tabloid journalism that really does nothing to boost GMB's credibility as a serious alternative morning news programme. This kind of coverage that was associated with GMTV and Daybreak. The interview wasn't really agenda setting or engaging. To be fair I'm sure that if BBC or Sky ran with that story (not that they ever would) it would feature heavily as their top news story. Others will disagree but I personally felt they spent far too much time on it whereas they could have focused on other headlines. Yes, GMB does need more 'big' interviews such as today's interview with the PM to boost the show's profile. However, they need to focus on stories that are more relevant and newsworthy, not just topical in my opinion.

With regards to the set, I highly doubt they would alter or tweak the backdrop to reflect the real time view of London during mid winter at 6am given what happened with Studio 7.

I've also noticed the increase use of the sofa area for interviews in the last few days. Maybe, a response to criticism from viewers who are not connecting the with the four person line up. Others might disagree, but I think the increased use of the sofa area is a positive thing. Clearly a lot of viewers from the core audience do not like the desk set up so the use of 'cosier sofa' does help in my opinion.

In terms of the ratings they seemed to have settled between 610,000 - 640,000 viewers this week with a 15-16% audience share. Even though the ratings have fallen compared to the first week the audience appreciation figure has increased consistently from 59 on the second show to 68 yesterday (same as the last week of Daybreak v2). This means viewers are gradually warming to the new format which interestingly is not reported by the wider media. It must be worrying that in the first seven shows for GMB the audience figures has fallen 23% compared to Daybreak's launch when it fell by 25%.

It will be interesting how Kate, Ranvir and John fulfil their new roles of GMB. It will be helpful for core viewers of Daybreak to have some more familiar faces which might help ratings. I agree with others that slowly the chemistry of the team is forming together and it is good to see more interaction with viewer comments. What has been disappointing has been the focus on inane and non-relevant stories i.e. Katie Price's divorce. Nobody cares, not even the key demographic Housewives with children. Those kind of features were heavily associated with the downfall of GMTV and Daybreak. Why on earth continue this with GMB which is supposed to be different?

Ratings for Bank Holiday Monday very disappointing for GMB, just under 340,000 viewers with 11.7% audience share. As it is a Public Holiday it is expected for figures to collapse like GMTV and Daybreak. But, it hasn't help with some of the newspaper coverage branding it a 'ratings disaster'. On a positive note, the figure is up from last Bank Holiday where Daybreak got 295,000 excluding +1. Breakfast held up pretty well with 1 million viewers. It will be interesting how the ratings recover and hold up in the next few weeks.

Apart from Sean who focuses on Sport, there is no real distinction between Susanna, Ben and Susanna when covering news stories or even interviews in my own opinion. One of the major criticisms evident on the social network sites from viewers is that they believe there's too many presenters on at the same time. I think for the format to engage more with viewers it would be helpful to have specific roles i.e. they can associate more easily with each presenter. It will take a long time for viewers to get to know the new presenting team and settle with the new format.

I echo the comments of others in that it's simply far too early to judge whether GMB will be a success or another breakfast flop. It will take many months probably until the autumn to see if the show has potential to build it's audience. The ratings for launch week have been interesting. Yes, as expected declines on Tuesday and Wednesday. But, to be fair the retention rates for Thursday was better. GMB needs to stabilise the viewing figures first and foremost.

As Cando points out it is down like for like compared to Daybreak's rating last year. Yet, it's an improved performance from last Thursday where Daybreak attracted 560,000 viewers whilst Breakfast have gained viewers over the week. Having watched the programme this week I would say a solid launch with some tweaks to make. In terms of comparing the launch of GMB and Daybreak there does seem to be more confidence and positivity about the show. Whether that will make a difference in the longer term remains to be seen.

My concern is that if there is no significant improvement or decline that they'll go back to their old editorial ways and move the show backwards i.e. Daybreak v1 and v2. I listened to Richard Bacon's radio show interviewing Helen Warner posted on the forum earlier in the week and she made it clear the target audience was very much housewives with children. I hope they stick the original format as much possible with some improvements. I agree with many others I think they should axe the competition slots once and for all. It serves no real purpose and could free up air time. I find the pace a wee bit too fast. The interviews are too quick and could be a little more in-depth. The interaction between the presenters has improved as the week has gone on. But, they could do with more interaction with the viewers by reading e-mails and comments more often.

I think it would help connecting with viewers if each presenter had clearly defined role. I would be better to have Main Anchors, News, Sport and Weather anchor. Yes, a bit too American although it would help as it's still confusing. For me, the stand out presenter of the show, like others have said has been Charlotte. Whatever your opinions are I think she has come across the most likeable and professional. She seems more relaxed than Susanna and has better chemistry with Ben and others. The next few weeks will be interesting as we approach the summer holidays.

In terms of the ratings for GMB's launch 800,000 with 19% share was a reasonable start given that it was a soft launch compared to Daybreak. It has to be remembered that Daybreak's overall reach has fallen by 20% in the past year. So even if it's only up 50,000 year on year it's still an improvement. The peak rating of 1.2 million was the highest the slot has achieved in November last year. The share is the highest achieved since the BBC February strikes of last year.

Despite, the broadly positive reviews there has been a very mixed or negative response to the show from core audience. The key question will be can the new format retain the boost in viewing numbers. The next few days and weeks will be interesting to see how they pan out. Will the viewing figures stabilise and can they build an audience. The run up to summer will be tough as Cando says the ratings will take a dip during holidays.

Even though as Cando points out this was just as newsy as the launch of Daybreak v2 the feel and look of the programme was much more newsier in approach helped by the on-screen presentation including the ITV News ticker. Like many others have said despite the strong American influence I really liked the titles and theme music. The look, the feel and style of the programme was different, but in a positive way. I appreciate not all forum members like the new look show and there entitled to their own opinions.

Negatives (Areas I think could be improved);

The pace of the show was quite fast, perhaps in my opinion maybe too fast as some parts of the show seemed a bit rushed. Others might disagree, but I think they should slow down the tempo. There are elements of the presentation which I think are quite messy there is simply too much going on. Another issue that I have with the graphics is that there a bit gimmicky ‘new this morning’ and ‘developing story’. It might be the traditionalist within me but ‘Headlines’ would be suffice.

There was also a lack of interaction between the presenters due to fast pace tempo. I would have appreciated a bit of time to get to know the presenting team. A solution could be to slow down the pace a bit and do a proper newspaper review with the presenters discussing the main headlines setting the news agenda (bit like ‘In the Mix’ but more formal). It’s also important for the core audience to engage with the new programme, but there were few opportunities today for the presenters to share viewer opinions and comments – similar scenario to Daybreak v1 launch and Daybreak v2 re-launch. I’m also unclear as to the precise roles of each main presenter. I thought Sean was a bit of a spare part as Ben, Susanna and Charlotte were covering the main news stories.

As for the mixed reaction on the likes of Facebook and Twitter are to be expected. As I’ve said continuously people do not like change. The reaction was the same for Daybreak’s launch and re-launch. It’s something ITV will have to deal with whether this format can connect with viewers which is the fundamental question.

Overall, I think a solid launch for GMB, but areas to work on and improve. The ratings should be interesting tomorrow. At least it is a marked improvement on the end of Daybreak in my opinion.